Lao hasn't traveled well to River North

Lunchers who miss the glory days of Michigan Avenue stalwarts Szechwan House and House of Hunan—and even humble Sixty-Five Restaurant & Bakery—were glad to hear Tony Hu was bringing his act to River North.

The enterprising Mr. Hu is respected for his empire of restaurants—seven in Chinatown, three elsewhere, one scheduled to open in Evanston soon and another planned for fall in the Shops at North Bridge downtown. All have “Lao” in their names; each focuses on the cuisine of a different region of China.

Lao 18 opened in late June along the hopping Hubbard Street strip of eateries and drinkeries. It's glossy and slick, with a long bar, lots of high-top tables and dramatic, oversized lampshades that mimic overturned blue-and-white porcelain bowls. The high-ceilinged room is bright and airy by day, with plenty of sleekly upholstered, private booths that lend themselves to business dining.

The lunch menu lists dim sum favorites ($6 to $9), congee and noodle dishes ($5 to $15) and about a dozen entree-size lunch plates ($10 to $14). Unfortunately, it seems pitched to a River North bar crowd that prefers its Chinese food nonconfrontational—a little dumbed down, even.

More interesting fare shows up on the lengthy dinner menu, available all day. Prices aren't much higher, though there are a few up-there entrees such as Shanghai ponzu whole red snapper ($28) and Cantonese stir-fried lobster (market price).

Dim sum lunch options include five kinds of steamed dumplings, most of which arrive in bamboo steamers. Shui mai ($6) come four to the order, plump bundles stuffed with shrimp, pork and mushrooms. Shrimp crepes with cilantro ($7 for two) are slippery, translucent rice-flour pancakes studded with firm shrimp but, in our case, no cilantro.

Sticky rice with chicken ($7 for two) has not just chicken but pork, duck, shrimp and mushrooms steamed inside a double layer of bamboo leaves; it's quiet but satisfying, and unwrapping the little packages (presents!) is a kick.

You could make a meal of dim sum, though the entrees are worth scoping out. Crispy pan-fried noodles with shrimp, chicken, beef, broccoli and black mushrooms ($15) work better than snoozy chicken with asparagus ($11).

Three-chili chicken ($11) isn't quite as spicy as its name implies, but the crunchy deep-fried morsels of chicken drizzled with sweet syrup are hard to stop eating. Serving it with Szechuan string beans (from the dinner menu, $11 with steamed rice) is a good move; they aren't spicy, either, but the vegetables and rice help balance the decadence of that crazy chicken.

Service is still finding its sea legs, as when warm, fresh-from-the-fryer doughnuts with two dipping sauces (chocolate and sweetened condensed milk) arrived instead of the fried sesame balls stuffed with red bean paste we'd ordered. The doughnuts, it turns out, head a dessert menu we hadn't seen. Ask for it, and them, if you're up for something hefty, delicious and not very Chinese.